


In Perfect Time

by ruination_fangs



Category: Tales of Xillia
Genre: Ballroom Dancing, F/M, Post-Canon, Tales of Secret Santa 2018, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-09-25 01:54:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17112230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ruination_fangs/pseuds/ruination_fangs
Summary: Jude's willing to humor Milla if she wants to learn how to dance. As always, the only question is whether he can keep up.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lord_of_Spirits_and_Bazongas](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lord_of_Spirits_and_Bazongas/gifts).



It starts, as so many things do, with something she read in a book.

"Jude, have you ever danced?"

"Uh..." Jude keeps his eyes on the pan he's stirring. "No, not formally or anything. Why?"

Milla is sitting at the table behind him, an Elympion magazine spread out in front of her. "I seem to be seeing it a lot lately. Several of my books on Rieze Maxian culture mentioned traditional dances, and there was a 'ball' in that 'movie' on the television the other day, and now there's an article about dance techniques in this magazine."

"Well, that's not really surprising," Jude says as he switches off the stove. "It's a pretty popular activity. You don't need equipment, you can do it practically anywhere..."

He turns around to tell Milla dinner is almost ready, and sees her brighten. "That's true. Jude, we should try dancing."

Jude pauses. "Like, actual dancing? Taking lessons...?"

"Not lessons, per se. We could piece together the basics on our own, don't you think? I'm sure we can find instructional books."

Honestly, Jude doesn't quite share her enthusiasm, but he can't help but smile at the shine in her eyes. "Fine, if you can find everything we need I'd give it a shot. But later, okay? Clear off the table and I'll bring you a plate."

Milla never needs telling twice where dinner is concerned, and she hurries to help him set the table, but continues to muse on the subject for the rest of the night.

 

* * *

 

As promised, Milla produces a whole stack of books on the hows and whys of dancing, and reads through them in record time. She has to return to the Spirit Realm not much later, but as soon as she comes back she picks up right where she left off. Jude even comes home on a few occasions to find her trying out the steps in the living room.

Finally the day comes that she's ready to practice the dances themselves. Jude hasn't fully internalized everything she's said about the footwork, and he may have only skimmed the chapters Milla bookmarked for him, but Milla assures him he'll pick it up as they go.

Pushing the couch aside gives them a little more room to move. Jude stands in the empty space, suddenly unsure what he's doing.

"Okay, so... how is this supposed to work? Which hand do I hold up?"

Milla sets her guidebook down on the couch and joins him in the center of the room.

"According to the books I read, the man's left, and the woman's right. Here." Milla's fingers intertwine with Jude's, and he flexes his hand slightly, suddenly all too aware of how much he's sweating. Why is he _nervous_? He thought he was past the point of getting embarrassed when it's just the two of them, but he doesn't want to disappoint her, and...

"Keep your hand at about face level," Milla continues. "Now... put your right hand on my shoulder blade. No, under the arm... like that."

As Jude places his hand more firmly against her, Milla lets her arm come to rest on his, with her hand on his shoulder. She examines their position and then smiles.

"There. Perhaps this is easier than the books led me to believe."

It isn't. Over the next hour, Jude steps on Milla's feet five times, their legs collide seven, and they run into the wall once and the couch twice.

"I'm sorry," he says for perhaps the twentieth time that day, rubbing his shin. "I don't understand how we're supposed to rotate while keeping the rhythm... Maybe this room just isn't big enough."

Milla smiles at him. "I'm sure it will take some practice. Let's stop for now and continue tomorrow."

But things don't go much better the next day. Jude hesitates when starting a new movement; Milla anticipates his steps and ends up tripping them both; they still have problems circulating around the room without crashing into anything.

"You're pushing me," Milla points out again as Jude tries to maneuver them both into a turn.

Jude sighs. "How else do you know where I want you to go? If I don't somehow tell you, we end up going in different directions."

His grip loosens, and they step apart. A gentle waltz continues to play from his GHS on the table, oblivious to the fact that they've largely been ignoring it to move at their own pace.

Milla rubs her chin. "The books said that partners send signals through body language. Hand pressure, for example."

"I don't get it." Jude sits down on the arm of the couch, gazing listlessly at the stretch of cleared floor. "We don't usually have problems communicating. We used to fight together so well. It was like we could read each other's thoughts..."

"Hmm... Yes, it was..." Milla straightens back up. "Jude, come here."

Jude isn't feeling much like continuing, but obediently he pushes away from the couch and returns to where Milla still stands in their practice space. Automatically he raises his left hand.

Milla shakes her head. "No, give me your right."

"Huh? Okay..."

Jude's eyes follow Milla's movements as she grasps his right hand and slides her own around his back. Hesitantly he rests his left hand on her shoulder.

"Do you think you can do the steps I've been doing?"

Suddenly their bodies are pressed together and she's back to that point-blank range that always catches him off guard.

"Uh, I guess... It's basically the same thing but in reverse, isn't it?"

"Okay. Start by moving your right leg back."

She doesn't give him a chance to think about what he's doing before she starts moving. As her leg comes forward, Jude's drifts back, and he shifts his weight to continue the pattern. In no time at all they've completed a whole cycle of steps, with only one mishap.

At the end of it, Jude stops. "Uh... that was actually a lot better."

Milla practically beams. "Let's work on traversing the room."

It's still a little awkward, but they manage to avoid the walls, and almost the entirety of the couch. Giddy with their success, they continue the same pattern for several cycles, eventually falling in step with the music still playing from the table.

Finally, as if on some invisible cue, they stop together. The waltz continues in the background, but Jude is no longer listening.

"This is kind of fun, actually," he says, pulling Milla closer.

"It is." Milla's eyes never leave his. "Do you want to keep going?"

Reluctantly Jude unravels himself from her arms to fetch his GHS. "Sure. I think I have a foxtrot on here..."

After all, he thinks, this is only their second lesson. There are dances enough out there to keep them busy for years... and he's starting to think he wouldn't mind dancing with Milla for that long and more.


	2. Chapter 2

The pavilion is aglow with lanterns and decorative lights hanging from the ceiling and eaves. Inside, the warm summer air is filled with chatter as guests circulate, speaking to one another about the ceremony and eating treats from small plates laid out along a buffet table.

Sitting at one of the tiny round tables skirting the pavilion, Milla stares at the display. "Are all human weddings like this?"

Jude smiles and loosens his tie a bit. "No. It really depends on the people getting married. Rieze Maxian weddings are usually smaller than this, but I guess the Elympion tradition is taking hold here too."

Across the room, Leia blushes as yet another guest congratulates her. Her husband stands next to her with an arm around her waist, beaming.

"It is more extravagant than I expected," Milla says. "Doesn't all of this cost money?"

"It does, but did she tell you about the gift Gaius sent her?"

Milla takes another drink from her champagne glass. "She mentioned it. Am I correct in assuming that that much money is not a normal wedding gift?"

"Not for most people," Jude confirms. "It was incredibly generous and probably funded quite a bit of this."

"Interesting," Milla says. "I suppose he does have the means. Perhaps he felt bad about not attending?"

"Maybe." Jude's gaze drifts around the space again, and lands on Elize, hovering not too far from the dessert table. As soon as she sees him she waves with her free hand, and then turns back to her conversation with the girl holding her other one. Nearby, Rowen delivers a glass of champagne to Marcia, and Jude chuckles. For a pair who came as friends and decidedly _not_  as dates, they sure haven't left each other's sides for long.

Even Alvin didn't come alone; he's chatting up several of the other guests with a young woman by his side, a girl Jude hasn't formally met yet. Beyond him Leia's mother pats her husband's back as the big man blows his nose yet again, eyes still watery.

Milla watches the proceedings with rapt attention: the announcement of the couple's first dance, the music changing, the center of the pavilion clearing to make room. After Leia and her husband dance the first song together, surprisingly smoothly if a little brief, Warrick takes her hands for a somewhat awkward but heartwarming father-daughter dance. The guests cheer when the song is over, and soon other couples begin to take the floor while the general murmur of conversation rises again.

"Shall we join them?" Milla asks, and stands up.

Jude also rises, acutely aware that now that they're standing he doesn't quite match her height. Sure, he's grown in the last few years, but Milla's platform shoes still give her an extra inch on him that he's beginning to think he'll never be able to make up.

He gazes around the dance floor and starts to feel his nerves kicking in. He and Milla have spent plenty of time dancing, sometimes for practice and sometimes just for fun, but they rarely do it in public, and...

"Do you think they'll think it's weird?" he asks quietly. "That I don't... lead..."

Milla gives him a gentle smile. "I don't think they'll think anything of it, Jude. And if they do, it doesn't matter. Masculinity isn't determined by what steps you perform in a dance." She reaches for his hand, and adds, "Also, I don't know if I have told you this yet today, but you look wonderful in that suit."

Jude manages to smile back. "Thanks," he murmurs, and takes her hand.

Their dancing is much better now than when they started. Milla leads them almost effortlessly across the floor, avoiding other couples, nudging Jude into more complicated moves, and easily changing the step patterns based on the songs that play.

After several dances, she says, "Ballroom etiquette actually dictates that pairs shouldn't dance more than two pieces in a row together."

Jude grins. "I don't think anyone here is that concerned with etiquette. The drinks are starting to sink in." He looks around, and goes on, "But I would like to see Leia again tonight."

"Then go now," Milla says, releasing his hands. "She's not with her husband right now. You won't be interrupting."

Jude nods, a little impressed at Milla's tactfulness tonight. He threads his way across the pavilion to where Leia is dancing in a rather loose hold with one of her coworkers.

"Mind if I cut in?" he asks as the song playing over the speakers ends.

The man respectfully steps away, and Leia clasps Jude's hand in hers with a force completely at odds with her delicate white dress.

"Jude! I've been waiting for you."

"Sorry," Jude says. "Milla and I were still kind of finding our footing..."

"Of course," Leia says, shifting into a proper dance position.

Rather than asking what that tone is supposed to mean, Jude continues, "Speaking of footing, uh... go easy on me, okay? I'm not very good at this part..."

"Yeah, I noticed you always make Milla lead," Leia says with a sly grin as they start to move. "You guys look really good, though. When did you learn to dance?"

Jude tears his gaze away from his feet. "We've been practicing for a while. Milla kept coming across it in books and television programs and wanted to try. When did _you_ learn to dance? I never thought I'd see you move so gracefully."

He grins, and Leia huffs. "Don't be rude to me at my own wedding! Jeez, Jude. But if you must know, you remember that girl I went out with a while back?"

"The magazine photographer? Yeah."

"She taught me the basics, and then with the wedding coming up I wanted to learn more so I could dance with my dad and everything."

"That's nice," Jude says, sincerely this time.

It's a little messy, but they get through the whole dance, and Jude doesn't even mind the hiccups. When the song ends, he looks aside and nearly jumps to find Milla standing right next to them.

"Hello," she says.

"Uh, hi," Jude replies, and Leia asks cheekily, "Which one of us are you here for?"

"You, of course," Milla tells her, flashing a grin at Jude.

Jude steps back, raising his palms in defeat, and retreats to the edge of the dance floor. From there he watches Milla spin Leia around to an upbeat tune, before Leia squeezes her in another tight hug and Milla returns to him. She immediately holds out her hand to drag him back into the fray.

"How long does this go on for?" Jude asks as another tune starts.

"Until everyone decides they're done, I surmise."

"Or gets too drunk to continue," Jude muses, watching Alvin throw back another glass.

The song playing overhead now is slow, and their dance has turned into more of a lazy-stepping sway while they both take in the atmosphere. Milla's eyes also cast around the room until she finds Leia at the edge of the crowd. "I suppose the newlyweds are required to stay until everyone else is gone?"

"Not quite everyone. Their parents will probably handle cleaning everything up so they can go home without worrying about it."

"That's right," Milla says thoughtfully. "Traditionally the night after the ceremony is when the newly-married couple consum-"

"AAAaaand we don't usually talk about it," Jude says firmly, averting his gaze.

Milla smiles. "That's not a bad idea, though." Before Jude can ask what she means, she leans in closer, and says into his ear, "Though you do look good in that suit, you'd look even better getting out of it."

Jude nearly trips, and only Milla's superb reflexes save him from stumbling into a nearby couple. His face flushes even before he regains his footing.

"Milla!" he hisses.

Milla only peers at him inquisitively, hands still steadying him.

"I'm surprised you reacted. The magazines said these 'pick-up lines' rarely have the desired effect."

Jude casts a furtive glance around to make sure no one else is listening, and then tugs Milla's hands back into place to resume their dance.

"That's not why-" he says, and sighs. "Never mind." Honestly, what has she been reading now? The treatises on human reproduction were bad enough, but some of these Elympion magazines are just _trashy_.

The current song ends not long after that, and Milla pauses. "Did you want to stop soon?"

Jude halts with her. The lights overhead are almost magical against the dark sky outside the pavilion, and the backdrop of happy chatter beneath the music is comforting.

"One more song or two," he decides, stepping a little closer.

"Okay." Milla smiles softly, and pulls him into one more dance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah I have no idea how weddings work but thanks for indulging me in airing out my headcanons
> 
> happy new year everyone~~


End file.
